Dhaka-17 By-polls Underway

Today is election day for seven municipalities in seven districts as well as the by-election for the Dhaka-17 constituency.

Voting began at 8 am and will go on uninterrupted until 4 pm.

In contrast to the recent municipal corporation polls, which employed electronic voting machines, the parliamentary by-election will be conducted with the use of conventional vote sheets.

Tight security measures have been taken to ensure peaceful voting, authorities said.

In the Dhaka-17 constituency, eight candidates are running in the race to be elected member of the parliament. The seat comprising Gulshan, Banani, Baridhara and part of Dhaka Cantonment fell vacant after the death of popular actor and freedom fighter Akbar Hossain Pathan Farooque on May 14 this year.

The contestants are Mohammad Ali Arafat of Bangladesh Awami League (with boat symbol), Sikder Anisur Rahman of Jatiya Party (plough), independent candidate Ashraful Hossain Alam (monochord), Kazi Rashidul Hasan of Zaker Party (rose), Akter Hossain of Bangladesh Sangskritik Muktijote (cane), independent candidate Tariqul Islam Bhuiyan (truck), Rezaul Karim Swapan of Bangladesh Congress (green coconut) and Sheikh Habibur Rahman of Trinamul BNP (golden fibre).

The number of voters is 325,205 under 125 polling stations in the Dhaka-17 constituency, which comprises wards 15,18,19 and 20 of Dhaka North City Corporation as well as Dhaka cantonment area.

On June 1, the Election Commission announced the by-election schedule for Dhaka-17 which fell vacant following the death of ruling Awami League MP Akbar Hossain Pathan alias Farooque.

Source: UNB